1 Samuel 28:15-25

Saul Hears His Judgment

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15Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

16“Why do you consult me,” asked Samuel, “since the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy?

17He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.

18Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.

19Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

20Immediately Saul fell flat on the ground, terrified by the words of Samuel. And his strength was gone, because he had not eaten anything all that day and night.

21When the woman came to Saul and saw how distraught he was, she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice. I took my life in my hands and did as you told me.

22Now please listen to your servant and let me set a morsel of bread before you so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.”

23Saul refused, saying, “I will not eat.” But his servants joined the woman in urging him, and he heeded their voice. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

24The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread.

25She served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. And that night they got up and left.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Samuel asks Saul why he has disturbed him by bringing him up. Saul says he is in great distress: the Philistines are fighting him, and God has turned away and does not answer him. He asks Samuel to tell him what to do.

Samuel answers that the LORD has turned from Saul and become his enemy. He says the LORD has done what He spoke through Samuel: the LORD has torn the kingdom from Saul and given it to David because Saul did not obey the LORD's voice or carry out His fierce wrath against Amalek.

Samuel says that tomorrow Saul and his sons will be with him and that the LORD will give Israel's army into the hands of the Philistines. Saul falls full length on the ground, terrified. He has no strength because he has eaten nothing all day and night.

The woman urges Saul to eat. He first refuses, but his servants join her appeal and he listens. She prepares a fattened calf and unleavened bread; they eat and leave that night.

Saul seeks instructions for the crisis, but Samuel points him back to a word he has already disobeyed. Changing the source of the answer does not change the LORD’s verdict. The prediction that Saul and his sons will be with Samuel announces their coming death; it does not explain their eternal state.

The meal gives a frightened, exhausted man food for the journey without reversing the judgment. The account holds both realities together: Saul is accountable for his disobedience, and he still receives ordinary care.

Questions

1 What judgment does Samuel announce to Saul?

AnswerSamuel announces that the LORD will hand Israel and Saul's army over to the Philistines. Saul and his sons will die, and Israel's army will fall in battle the next day.

2 Why does Samuel say the LORD has become Saul's enemy?

AnswerSamuel says the LORD has become Saul's enemy because Saul did not obey His voice or carry out His fierce wrath against Amalek. The kingdom has been torn from Saul and given to David because of that disobedience.

3 How does Saul respond when he hears that Israel will be given to the Philistines?

AnswerSaul falls full length on the ground, terrified by Samuel's words and weakened because he has eaten nothing all day and night. The woman urges him to eat, prepares a fattened calf and unleavened bread, and he eats before leaving that night.

4 How can we care for someone while taking their wrongdoing seriously?

AnswerWhen someone has made serious wrong choices, keep accountability and basic compassion together. Do not confuse care with approval.

What This Means for Us

Saul wants a new answer, but Samuel repeats the word Saul has already resisted. The passage is sobering because desperation cannot erase a pattern of disobedience.

Yet the woman still feeds a terrified man. Her act does not reverse the judgment or excuse Saul; it recognizes that a person facing consequences remains a human being who needs food and care.

Ask whether your household can hold truth and compassion together when someone has failed badly. Practice neither cruelty nor false reassurance.

Prayer

God of truth and mercy, keep us sober about the consequences of sin and compassionate toward people who are suffering. Teach our household to offer care without calling wrong right. Amen.

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